Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to devices wherein means are provided to propel a diver through a body of water with which he is in direct contact.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Several devices for propelling a diver through a body of water with which he is in direct contact are provided in prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,323,481 to Harvey (1967) discloses a swimming appliance that is applied to a swimmer as a xe2x80x9cpackxe2x80x9d or a xe2x80x9cruck sackxe2x80x9d using straps or a harness. Steerage by a swimmer is achieved by using the hands or feet as rudders or paddles. A motor drives a propeller or an impeller or a water jet to propel the swimmer through the water.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,768,431 to Picken (1973) discloses a manually operated underwater swimming aid for use in propelling a diver or swimmer below the surface of the water. The aid facilitates such propulsion through oscillating motion imparted by the diver to a pair of resilient planar blades. The blades are anchored to an axial support. Handles are provided rearward of the support for gripping by the swimmer. Subsequent manual application of oscillating torque forces to the handles about the longitudinal axis of the aid flex the blades into a propeller configuration to pull the diver through the water.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,033,276 to Han (2000) discloses a personal water vehicle comprising a structure for supporting a person in a prone position above an upper surface of a body of water. A facility is for steering the supporting structure in the body of water using manual operation by the hands of the person. An assemblage is for propelling the supporting structure in the body of water, using peddle movement by the feet of the person A device for viewing, extends through the supporting structure so that the person can look into the body of water. Furthermore, the propelling assemblage comprises a swivel pedal assembly, pivotally mounted over the rearward end of the supporting structure at the tail fin assembly. A pair of toe clip foot hanger pedals are provided with each mounted on an opposite end of the swivel pedal assembly, to engage with one foot of the person. A propulsion gear box is carried in the tail fin assembly in conjunction with the steering gear unit. When the swivel pedal assembly is rocked forward and rearward by the peddle movement of the feet of the person engaging the toe clip foot hanger pedals, the tail fin assembly will undulate like a fish tail in the body of water to drive the supporting structure forward in the body of water.
While the buoyant underwater viewing device disclosed by Han is suitable for traveling on the upper surface of a body of water and looking into the water, it is unsuitable as a diving device because of its buoyancy and lack of means for initiating dives and ascents in a body of water. It uses hand operated mechanical means to execute turning movements in the plane of the upper surface of the water. It uses adjustable shoulder support pad assemblies to provide the reactive force from the vehicle that allows the vehicle operator to apply force to the pedals with his feet. It furthermore does not provide a means to control the angle of attack of the tail fin with respect to the flow of water past it to prevent stalling that can drastically reduce the propulsive force.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,401,196 to Triantafyllou et al (1995) discloses a propulsion system for use in a fluid, the system utilizing at least one foil which is both oscillated at a frequency f with an amplitude a in a direction substantially transverse to the propulsion direction and flapped or pitched about a pivot point to change the foil pitch angle to the selected direction of motion with a smooth periodic motion. Parameters of the system including Strouhal number, angle of attack, ratio of the distance to the foil pivot point from the leading edge of the foil to the chord length, the ratio of the amplitude of oscillation to the foil chord width and the phase angle between heave and pitch are all selected so as to optimize the drive efficiency of the foil system. Further, while a motor or engine-driven vehicle has been assumed for the preferred embodiment, the invention may also be advantageously utilized in human powered systems with motions of a swimmer""s legs being converted by suitable mechanical linkages into heave and pitch motion for one or more foils in accordance with the teachings of this invention. Such devices can provide faster motion with less exertion than currently available systems for propelling a swimmer or diver without a drive motor.
For good performance the marine propulsion system disclosed by Triantafyllou et al requires regulation of a large number of parameters in addition to the angle of attack of a foil with respect to the flow of water past it to prevent stalling. In particular, the dynamic parameter of phase angle between heave and pitch needs to be simultaneously regulated with angle of attack.
A diver lying prone in a body of water grasps the present invention with his hands and pushes on pedals with his feet. The arms of the diver transmit the reactive force from the device that allows the feet of the diver to apply force to the pedals. The pedal motion is converted into propulsive force that moves the diver through the water. The device is configured so that it can be adjusted to divers of varying body dimensions so that a diver is free to bend at his hip joints and bend and twist his spine so as to use his torso as a control foil to cause turns, dives and ascents in the water. The diver can rapidly and easily mount and dismount the device while in the water by grasping or releasing the device with his hands and applying or removing his feet from the pedals. The device is intended to be made with a small positive buoyancy which can be reduced or made negative by addition of weights. The preferred embodiment of the propulsion means comprises a simple direct drive of an arm. As the diver operates the pedals the forward end of the arm pivots with respect to the device as the rearward end of the arm sweeps back and forth in the water. A fin is attached to the rearward end of the arm. The fin is fitted with a simple device for controlling the angle of attack of the fin with respect to the flow of water past it to prevent stalling.
The diver may be equipped with a snorkel, an underwater breathing apparatus; or the diver may free dive without such breathing aides.
The primary object of the present invention is a device wherein means are provided to propel a diver through a body of water with which he is in direct contact that will overcome the shortcomings of the prior art devices. Objects and advantages of the present invention are:
(a) to provide motive power by applying the force of the leg muscles of a diver to pedals.
(b) to provide means for executing dives, ascents and turns in a body of water by using the torso of the body of a diver as a control foil.
(c) to facilitate diving with the device by limiting its buoyancy.
(d) to provide for the transmission of the reactive force of the device that allows a diver to apply force to the pedals by the diver grasping the device with his hands.
(e) to provide, in the preferred embodiment of the means for propulsion, control of the angle of attack of the tail fin with respect to the flow of water past it to prevent stalling without complicated regulation of other parameters.
A further objective is to reduce the complexity of the device so that the device is simple and easy to use, reliable, and economical in cost to manufacture.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from consideration of the ensuing drawings and detailed description.
To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that changes may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described within the scope of the appended claims.